Russia and India are working together on the first manned flight of an Indian crew into space, according to Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov.

"The Russian space agency Roscosmos and the Indian Space Research Organization are working together to advance the Indian manned space mission Gaganyaan," he said.

As the ambassador pointed out, "Russia has historically been one of India's most important partners in space exploration." "Past achievements in this field provide a solid foundation for new endeavors," he added.

"We are proud to follow India's recent achievements in space exploration, to which we have also made our modest contribution," Alipov noted.

The Gaganyaan program aims to conduct manned spaceflight to low Earth orbit, laying the groundwork for the technologies needed for India's long-term space exploration.